The personal blog of Dave Fernig, thoughts on science and unrelated matters

2017 Resolution

A little late this year, but then there are many calendars, so it is surely the start of the New Year for someone, somewhere, today.

Three years ago I made a simple resolution for the New Year, which was not to review for commercial closed access journals. I developed this in 2015 (and here) when I decided to change my publishing priorities and avoid commercial closed access journals. This was pretty much already happening, so painless. My two caveats relating to publication are important, if you collaborate extensively, simply because many colleagues live in countries where Impact Factor rules their lives. Thus, when I am not the PI and in editorial control of the work, but merely a contributor, then I suggest alternatives, but I do not dig my heels in. For my students and postdocs who originate from these many countries the Learned Society and Open Access alternatives have pretty much solved the problem, in that they have decent impact factors, and their career progression will not be impeded.

I have also been experimenting with preprints for some time and now, along with Open Data. So the 2016 resolution adds preprints and Open Data. All papers where I am sole PI and have, therefore, the full decision-making power on publication (and also full responsibility for the paper) will be first submitted as preprints and data will be fully accessible.

What is interesting is the development of the change in publication culture. There are still many wedded to the notion that the “Top” journals are those with the highest impact factor, despite the fact that there is no evidence to support this conclusion. Witness the article in Nature reporting the excellent decision by the Gates Foundation, which stipulates that worked funded by the Gates Foundation cannot be published in journals that are not properly open access and open data compliant. To paraphrase the Nature headline:

The implication that a paper in Nature is worth more than one in The Biochemical Journal or PlosOne to name two other good journals of many is ludicrous. Only when the paper is read can one decide whether it is excellent, good or poor, and then it takes time (=years) for the full scientific impact to be recognised. There are plenty of papers in ALL journals that are worse than poor, ample evidence is provided by a quick scan of Pubpeer; Nature for one has a lot to do to put its house in order.

So preprints and Open Data it is. I would encourage all my colleagues to follow suit.